Letter: ARPA Funds Earmarked for Youth Empowerment Should Not Be Transferred to Cash Reserves

by The Town of Amherst’s Community Safety and Social Justice Committee

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town manager on December 11, 2024. A portion was read during public comment, at the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on December 16, 2024.

The Community Safety and Social Justice Committee is writing to implore that the remaining $454,000 from the original $500,000 ARPA earmark for youth empowerment be utilized on youth empowerment, rather than being transferred to cash reserves. We appreciate the Town’s budget challenges, prioritization of essential services, cost saving measures, and the need for capital projects; however, the committee states that utilizing the funds for its intended earmark is the most appropriate.

The recommendation to establish a youth empowerment center came out of the work of the Community Safety Working Group which was established by the Town Council in its commitment to better understanding and supporting the needs of the Amherst BIPOC communities, especially youth.  To obligate the remaining $454,000 to support youth empowerment demonstrates that the Town Council will not go back on its commitment. Not honoring the commitment made to utilize these funds for youth empowerment is a step backwards in the Town Council’s and Town’s commitment to furthering equity and opportunities for leadership for BIPOC youth.

Youth mental health and social well-being have suffered as a direct result of the COVID pandemic.  This is especially true of our youth with marginalized identities.  Disruptions to learning, isolation from peers and concerns for physical health and safety have had a lasting impact on youth.  Therefore, providing youth with a safe space to engage in beneficial and productive activities that mitigate many of the negative impacts of COVID is a very appropriate use of ARPA funds, as they are meant to serve those communities most impacted by COVID.

There is a growing concern among different communities that the town is not committed to the youth, and by extension the BIPOC community. Honoring the allocation of ARPA funds shows the youth, and the town as a whole, that there is a commitment to the young and youth empowerment.

The remaining ARPA funds could support youth empowerment and a youth empowerment center in the following ways:

• Support additional staffing to incorporate the youth to enhance programming identified through the survey, including peer leadership opportunities
• Contract with area BIPOC groups to provide an array of youth programming, including but not limited to leadership and mentoring opportunities and opportunities specific to BIPOC youth
• Offer youth opportunities to engage in enrichment programs and cultural activities
• Provide rent for a temporary space until a permanent space is acquired
• Hire a grant writer to pursue funding opportunities to support and sustain youth programming and a youth empowerment center to help support the realization of the center and ensure its sustainability

This recommendation does not ask for the town to reallocate money from different areas or create additional spending.  The ask is to use the funding allocated for its intended purposes.

This shows a commitment on the part of the town to the youth, as well as to help create opportunities for future funding that does not rely on the town’s budget.

The Community Safety and Social Justice Committee